NTL > Reviews (205)

Having reviewed NTL's phone service a few years ago I have now decided to write another one, this time on my experience of NTL as an ISP.

I first subscribed to NTL's broadband service when I updated my computer in 2002 and decided that I would like to transfer to broadband so as to end the high call charges I was getting every month on my phone bill and end my Mother's constant complaints that she couldn't get hold of me as the phone was always engaged! As we couldn't subscribe to BT at the time we decided, not without a little trepidation, to give NTL a try.

Connection was really easy and, for quite a while, everything was hunky dory, although I did get a little frustrated at times about the number of times I had trouble with my connection usually because of problems NTL was having with maintenence.

Then, about a year and a half ago the problems really set in!
It all started when I became concerned, after checking my six and a half year old daughter's email account, with the content of a couple of emails she had received - one was for adult services and the other nothing less than very graphic child pornography that I certainly didn't want her to see. That, coupled with the huge amount of spam and filthy emails I was receiving into my own account, meant I contacted NTL to let them now what had happened. Their response, after I finally got through after hanging on for nearly an hour, was that it was nothing to do with them and they even suggested that somehow my daughter or myself must have accessed child porn sites in order for them to have got hold of her email address...a completely ridiculous suggestion.

Now, let me explain one thing..I know that junk emails are a huge problem to try and prevent but it was the total lack of concern for my daughter's welfare that upset me the most - after all the primary concern of any parent is their child's safety.

This incident, coupled with the fact that the connection was becoming even more unreliable ( at one point I only had a connection for around two weeks of the four I was being charged for each month but was still charged the same amount) and getting through to NTL let alone trying to get them to sort out whatever the problem was had become almost impossible, meant my patience was finally exhausted and I decided to look for another ISP.

A friend of mine had recently moved from NTL to BT and, as we have a BT line and were now able to get broadband from them, I decided to look at what they had to offer. Needless to say I was impressed with thier packages, parental controls and sfaety features which I may well explain in another review on another occasion.

Perhaps a little sadly, the best thing NTL did for me was to close down my account correctly this time ( if you have read my other review on NTL you will know what I mean) although it was made easier by the fact I was able to simply cancel my direct debit this time!

So, there it is. I do know people who have had a positive experience with NTL but I still wouldn't recommend them to anyone who wants good customer service, a reliable connection, and for their young children to be safe from inappropriate content. Oh, and I don't get nearly so many junk emails now, either!